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Join STC and the Washington, DC – Baltimore (WDCB) Chapter

The following is information about how individuals and corporations may join STC and the membership benefits in STC and the Washington, DC – Baltimore (WDCB) Chapter.

How to Join

The STC membership structure includes several categories of membership, each of which offers a different value to members. Before joining, please read the descriptions of each type and their related dues on the STC membership page.

Annual dues are payable to STC on January 1 (membership year ends on December 31). Membership may not be transferred or assigned to another person. STC dues are tax deductible. A receipt and membership card will be mailed to you after your payment is received. New members joining after 31 January pay a prorated fee. Refer to the chart of membership levels and dues at STC Membership Levels and Benefits for how to figure the rates for new members. Dues are paid to the Society for Technical Communication and include membership in a local chapter. Initial chapter assignment is made upon approval of the membership application, and a portion of each member's dues is rebated to the local chapter. Fifteen dollars is applied towards a subscription to the quarterly journal, Technical Communication, and $15 is for the monthly magazine, Intercom.

New: Each new application or renewal must be submitted under separate login credentials (userid/password). Otherwise information contained in member accounts could be overwritten if you log in with your regular STC membership login.

Application Forms

• Online new member application encrypted by Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
• Membership Application form PDF

Mail application forms to the Society office:

Renew Your Dues

The Society office will send out the first renewal notice to all members by email the first week in October. You may renew your dues online starting in October. The first U.S. postal mail to members (including a renewal invoice) will be sent out in mid-November. The renewal deadline is 28 February if you want to vote in the STC elections.

The last renewal date to renew STC membership is March 31. After that, your membership becomes inactive. You may renew your membership online at the Society's website:
https://www.stc.org/membership/

Change Your Membership Community Affiliation

If you've already renewed, you may add affiliations to chapters and SIGs.

Current members can enroll in additional chapters and SIGs by submitting a PDF membership application to email hidden; JavaScript is required for processing, or by contacting STC membership at +1 703-522-4114 with payment information and your community selections. Chapters are $25 each and SIGs are $10 each.

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Corporate Membership and Corporate Sponsorship

See the Chapter Partnerships and Sponsorship page for how organizations and corporations may sponsor our chapter.

Corporate Value Program & STC Partnerships

STC established the Corporate Value Program (CVP) to meet the individual needs of corporations. The CVP offers a variety of options, tailored to meet individual corporate technical communication needs. CVP may include membership for all staff members or just a few. A large variety of benefits are offered to meet the individual needs of each company. Benefits include the following and more.

There are two forms of the Corporate Value Program: Group Discount and Membership for Marketing Purposes.

See the Corporate Value Program (CVP) page for more information.

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Why Should You Join STC?

Sign up now! Become a dues-paying member of STC and take advantage of all the benefits of membership set aside for STC members only. "Members Only" benefits let you have

• Full access to the Society's jobs database and salary survey.
• Full access to the membership directory.
• Full access with search capability to STC's award-winning publications: Intercom, Conference Proceedings, Technical Communications Journal.
• Voting privileges in STC elections.
• Society-level recognitions, grants, and awards.
• Forums for sharing your expertise, expressing your professional opinion, and building a reputation within the industry. Share your expertise and give back to the profession of technical communication.
• Training seminars and workshops to advance your career.
• Health and other types of insurance plans.
• Worldwide networking opportunities through STC's 48 professional and student chapters, 11 special interest groups (SIGs), and annual conferences
• STC helps shape the entire profession—and you help shape STC. Serving on a Society-level committee or taking on the duties of office ensures that your experience benefits technical communication for years to come.
• Publishing opportunities in STC publications and newsletters.
• Polish your presentation skills and share your knowledge by speaking at an STC conference or seminar.

Your membership dues help fund events that are available to the community at large. These include

• Jobs database where employers and recruiters can post their openings
• International competitions that recognize the very best examples of technical communication, including technical publications, art, and online communication
• Fellowships that help bridge the gap between technical communication practitioners and teachers
• Sponsoring an honorary fraternity for college students majoring in technical communication
• Honoring outstanding teachers of technical communication
• Financing research grants that further the understanding of learning and communication
• Providing continual learning opportunities

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Why Should You Join the WDCB Chapter?

Members of the Washington, DC – Baltimore (WDCB) Chapter may take advantage of all the "Members Only" resources on the WDCB Website and other chapter affiliation benefits:

• List your book or other publications on the Chapter Members’ Publications page and include a link to the Amazon.com site if it is for sale
• Advertise your professional accomplishments on our Website
• Earn chapter-level recognitions and awards
• Be nominated for Society-level recognitions and awards
• Vote in chapter elections
• Participate in the CHAT discussion list
• Grow your leadership capabilities as an elected chapter officer
• Learn new skills as a member of a chapter committee

By affiliating with the WDCB Chapter, a portion of your STC membership dues help fund WDCB Chapter events that are available to the community at large. These include

• Enter or judge in local competition for technical communication that provide professional feedback on the quality of your work and recognizes the very best examples of technical communication (the chapter submits and pays for the international-level competition entry fees for all entries that are given an award of Distinction in our chapter-level competitions)
• Monthly events with expert speakers on topics that affect your career, tools, and life
• Opportunities to network with and mentor other chapter members through our events, committees, competitions, and discussion lists
• Local special interest groups to connect you with others who have the same interests and subject-matter expertise to help answer your questions

You may affiliate with your local chapter and other STC chapters or SIGs that interest you for an additional $10 each.

¹ The nonmember fee goes into our chapter's operating expenses.

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See our STC Information: Membership page for information about who STC is for and what the Washington, DC – Baltimore (WDCB) Chapter offers you as a member. For information about STC annual conferences / Technical Communication Summits, STC election candidates (when available), related professional and student chapters in our region, and links to membership and educational information on the Society's site, see our About STC page.

For a list of organizations that are similar to STC, see the Related Organizations page.

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